April 22, 2008
Purdue students to teach local fifth-graders about sustainability
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A Purdue University professor and her graduate students will lead West Lafayette elementary school children in a project that will help educate them about climate change and their role in preserving the Earth's resources.Students in Cindy Tomovic's Organizational Leadership and Supervision 581 class, Communicating Climate Change, will conduct interactive workshops for all Happy Hollow Elementary School fifth-graders from 8:30-9 a.m. on April 28 and May 2 in the school's cafeteria.
Through a series of lessons and activities, Tomovic and her students will teach the approximately 150 students about what climate change is and how their everyday actions can impact the environment.
During the workshop, one of the graduate students will be dressed up as a "Baggie Monster" in a lesson that will teach children that it takes about 1,000 years for a typical sandwich bag to decompose.
In addition, students will learn about simple activities they can do to help the environment, including turning off unneeded lights and recycling.
"These are simple demonstrations that we think kids will be able to understand," Tomovic said. "Our hope is that not only will this affect their behavior and mindsets as they grow up, but also that they will take these lessons home to their parents."
In addition to the workshop for fifth-graders, Tomovic's students also are working on a Boilermaker Quality of Life survey that will measure attitudes on sustainability on the Purdue campus.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Cindy Tomovic, (765) 494-5597, tomovicc@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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